Conductive, resistive and anti-triboelectric footwear

ABSTRACT

The present application refers to a conductive, resistive and anti-triboelectric footwear comprising a footwear body or cut, a semiconductor sole, a resistive conductive insole, a common insole, a bottom of sole having contacting the floor made of the same material as the unloading devices and the semiconductor insole and unloading devices, with the purpose of contacting the human body with the ground and achieve the release of the stored static electricity on which the footwear body is fixed, characterized in that the unloading devices pass through the common insole and the footwear bottom making contact between the resistive conductive insole and the ground at least through the portion or the whole sole when it is resistive conductive; and its manufacturing method.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention, as expressed in the disclosure of this specification, refers to conductive, resistive anti-triboelectric footwear for the general public having daily problems with accumulation of electrical charges, and at the same time is protected against possible electric discharges produced by the contact with electric equipments connected to local power networks.

This footwear model is also for physicians, nurses and/or any health staff members, wherein fatal accidents have been reported, caused by static electricity accumulated in the body and unloaded on patients in surgery rooms, coronary units, or intensive care units; also in refrigerated industrial meat processes, dairy industries, supermarkets, where white footwear is required for hygienic reasons.

The main advantage of conductive, resistive anti-triboelectric footwear is that the user may unload static electricity stored in the body and at the same time be protected against accidental contacts with 220 Volt power lines or 110 Volt lines, which although safer, are also dangerous.

This is vitally important for contact work contacting with electric equipment potentially in danger of electrocution, where it is by all means necessary to prevent unloading of the static electricity stored by the human body, such as for example a brain surgery.

STATE OF ART

Triboelectricity is the displacement of charges by friction, resulting in electrically charged bodies. Therefore, an electrical force field appears in the vicinity of an electrically charged body, and thus the quality of Electrical Field. Being created by friction, it is defined as Triboelectric Field, and responds to a dynamic phenomenon. While talking of electrostatic field, as the name indicates, we refer to statically equilibrated electrified bodies.

ELECTROSTATICS studies phenomena related to balanced electrified circuits. Most common examples of this type of phenomenon manifestation are shown, for example, when sitting by an old PC, an old television set, being under the influence of a cloud on stormy days, or simply being subject to the electric field of the ionosphere.

TRIBOELECTRICITY refers to electric phenomena caused by friction scientifically treated by Thales of Miletus in year 630 B.C. Such type of manifestations occur, for example when raising from bed to go to the toilet, when raising from a well upholstered or PVC chair, when taking off a synthetic fiber coat, or the most common daily life activity of walking on synthetic floors.

A typical example of this phenomenon occurs when stepping out of a car running with a person inside; both the person and the circulating car are charged by friction, therefore, if said charge generating person is connected to the ground, the charges shall not accumulate when separating from the car seat and stepping out, and thus there is no need of closing the door by pushing on the window in order to prevent the consequent unload produced in these cases.

All these daily life settings are the reasons why we are always electrically charged when not connected to the ground, without entering into details of the health problems caused and the causes of accidents, with the aggravating factor of being filed as “FORTUITUOUS CAUSE” with no responsible person.

When the charged body is the human body, depending on how it is unloaded some unadvisable events from the individual point of view may occur, either at work or during the daily life. Who has not experienced at some time an electric discharge when stepping out of the car or touching the doorknob at the office? Possibly, it all ended with a surprised grin. But triboelectric problems act as ghosts. Depending on the electric current originated during the discharge, fires may occur in service stations, gunpowder deposits, machine rooms in ships, etc. Usually it is generally unknown to attribute the accident to triboelectric problems, and since there is no adequate diagnosis, no correct action is instituted.

That is the point, the cause why a human being is electrically charged by friction, because it is not possible to eliminate synthetic floors, upholstered or PVC chairs or change the car seat, and thus connect the body with the ground in an intelligent way, as a solution to live with the solemn benefits of progress.

This means the use of a RESISTIVE footwear for normal power values such as home networks (220 Volts or 110 Volts) at the same time CONDUCTIVE for higher values, and thus that the sole is polarized in order to minimize the electrical charges that may be generated by friction.

Lack of acknowledgement of this issue may have severe consequences in the field of personal safety, because the so-called electrostatic problems, in fact triboelectric in origin (that is, displacement of electric charged by friction), are carelessly treated.

According to resistive features, footwear may be classified as:

A) CONDUCTIVE FOOTWEAR: a resistance range lesser than 10,000 Ohms and recommended for Active Line workers where the worker must be at the same high power line potential and height.

B) CONDUCTIVE RESISTIVE FOOTWEAR: each piece of footwear has a resistance lesser than 2,000,000 Ohm and higher than 500,000 Ohm and this allows discharging the human body in a period of time under 0.1 sec.

C) CONDUCTIVE RESISTIVE AND ANTI-TRIBOELECTRIC FOOTWEAR: it has equal unloading feature as the former footwear, but by the semiconductor sole it drastically reduces generation of triboelectricity (electricity generated by friction) when walking on synthetic floors.

ELECTRIC RESISTANCE RANGE: for discharge in hundredths of seconds (whole body)

Conductive Footwear 0 to 10,0000 Ohm Conductive Resistive Footware

250,000 to 1,000,000 Ohm in whole body or 500,000 to 2,000,000 Ohm for each shoe

Conductive Resistive Antiriboelectric Footware

250,000 to 1,000,000 Ohm in whole body or 500,000 to 2,000,000 Ohm for each shoe

Among the patent publications contemplating footwear allowing for human body static electricity unloading to the ground stands out the Spanish publication ES 2093567 describing a bioelectric unloading device constituting a mechanic device applicable to floors or footwear soles; this invention allows for static electricity ground unloading but the user thereof is not protected against eventual accidental contact with a power line of 110 Volts to 220 Volts.

US application publication 2007/0000155 A1 discloses footwear with an electrostatic grounding consisting of an insole on the sole and an electroconductive element made of one or more trimmings, which connects the insole to the sole and provides a safe contact between the user's body and the ground; this invention does not take into account the protection against accidental contact with a 110 Volt to 220 Volt power line.

European publication EP 0791302 A1 refers to a footwear with electrostatic protection providing a footwear which eliminates the accumulation of electrically static charges generated on the body or clothing by ground unloading or the floor using a unloading material provided by the sole, in this case there is no safe protection against accidental contact with a 110 Volt to 220 Volt power line.

Summary of the Japanese patent publication JP 11018804 A shows a footwear containing an electric conductor that unloads static electricity to the ground without safe protection against accidental contact with a 110 Volt to 220 Volt power line.

Patent publication WO 2008058984 A1 relates to a footwear with an electrically conductive sole and at least one electrode contact within the shoe, which is electrically connected to the sole; this type of footwear may have a permanent magnet in the middle of the sole to provide improvement of the health status, in this case there is no safe protection against accidental contact with a 110 Volt to 220 Volt power line.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Firstly, we must take into account that when talking about footwear we refer to all types of existing footwear and any model, that is slippers, flip-flaps, shoes, bootees, ankle boots, boots, etc., to be used in any type of use, that is, industrial safety footwear, Armed Forces and Security footwear, aeronautic, naval footwear, for chauffeurs, sport, civil use, etc.

Since safety footwear is included therein, they may have steel toecups to prevent toe damage caused by industrial labors.

For any of the footwear types mentioned above, the development to be shown is used in any of their assembly systems, for example conventional assembly, Strobel assembly, etc., where the body of the footwear is fixed to the development formed by the system formed by the sole, a resistive conductive insole, a common insole and an unloading device.

The development includes a body triboelectric unloading device, built of semiconductor or conductive rubber, combined with a insole with a part or the whole surface built of the same material as the unloading device, keeping in constant contact the person and the unloading device, which placed in any footwear contacts the body with the ground in hundredths of seconds, with the additional advantage that if accidentally the person contacts the 220 Volt or 110 Volt power line, the leak current is below the body tolerance limit. This unloading device does not only enable modifications of any footwear, it also guarantees a better health, just by transforming a common footwear into a CONDUCTIVE, RESISTIVE AND ANTI-TRIBOELECTRIC FOOTWEAR.

A conductive, resistive and anti-triboelectric footwear comprises a footwear body or cut, a semiconductor sole, a resistive conductive insole, a common insole, a bottom or sole having at least a portion occupying the whole of the sole in contact with the floor made of the material as the unloading devices and the semiconductor insole and unloading devices with the purpose of contacting the human body with the floor and achieve the release of the stored static electricity on which the footwear body is fixed, where the unloading devices pass through the common insole and the bottom of the footwear contacts the resistive conductive insole and the floor through at least the portion or the whole sole, when resistive conductive.

For the CONDUCTIVE, RESISTIVE AND ANTI-TRIBOELECTRIC FOOTWEAR, to such unloading device and insole the bottom of the footwear, it must be added that the bottom of the footwear must be manufactured, partly or wholly, with the same material as the unloading device and the resistive conductive insole. This part of the bottom always occupies the whole of the part of the sole in contact with the floor, where the rest of the sole may be made of materials such as rubber, polyurethane, PVC, TR, etc.

For the CONDUCTIVE, RESISTIVE AND ANTI-TRIBOELECTRIC FOOTWEAR, the material used for manufacturing the unloading device and the conductive resistive insole, as well as the part of the sole in contact with the floor comprises a rubber formulation related to a natural rubber with lampblack conductive in a percentage from 30 to 40% w/w.

The CONDUCTIVE, RESISTIVE AND ANTI-TRIBOELECTRIC FOOTWEAR contains conventional insoles where the footwear body is assembled, manufactured in any conventional material used for manufacturing insoles such as sole, cardboard, felt, eva rubber, etc.

The unloading devices comprise pin-shaped elements having a long body between 1 mm and 8 mm in diameter and a head of diameter varying between 4 mm and 15 mm. Larger dimensions may be used to increase the contact area between the unloading device and the conductive resistive insole.

Footwear bottoms may be manufactured in any material such as rubber, polyurethane, leather sole, PVC, TR, etc, with a layer always in contact with the floor of the same material than the unloading device, thus providing a resistance between 500,000 and 2,000,000 Ohm to unload in hundredths of a second for each shoe.

Once the footwear is assembled in any of its shapes, designs and sizes, we begin the development insert process according to the footwear, consisting of the following:

-   -   The footwear will be finished with the adequate bottom for the         intended footwear type where the portion touching the floor has         rubber related to natural rubber with conductive lampblack in a         proportion of 30 to 40% w/w in order to be this resistive         conductive portion.     -   This portion may comprise the total of the sole or only be the         portion in contact with the floor, where it is a part of a sole         containing other types of materials commonly used, such as a         polyurethane rubber polymer, leather sole, PVC, TR.     -   The unloading device is inserted, passing from the assembly         insole to below the bottom for contacting the floor, eliminating         the excessive portion of unloading device passing underneath         through the portion contacting the floor manufactured of the         same material as the unloading device. Said unloading device may         be placed in any part of the footwear, as long as it has the         above-described shape, preferably in the heel area.     -   The insole manufactured or partly or totally inserted with the         semiconductor or conductor rubber, so it contacts the person and         the unloading device.     -   More than one unloading device may be used to assure the         effective unloading of the electrostatic electricity on the         floor.     -   Importantly, the total resistance of each footwear must be equal         to the sum of the conductive resistive resistance of the insole,         the unloading device and the portion of the natural rubber sole         with conductive lampblack in a 30 to 40% w/w ratio, with 250,000         to 1,000,000 Ohm for each shoe to whole body or 500,000 to         2,000,000 Ohm for each shoe.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Complementing the description below and with the purpose of helping to a better understanding of the invention features, the present specification is accompanied by a set of drawings. Thereby the innovations and the advantages of this type of footware shall be better understood according to the objective of the invention.

FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal section of a footwear bottom, in this case a white safety type footwear with steel toecap with conductive resistive insole contacting the unloading device, the insole, and chemical sole which final portion contacting the floor is made of conductive resistive material. In this case, said portion is painted in the same color as the rest of the sole for visual reasons.

FIG. 2 shows a longitudinal section of the bottom of a safety type black footwear with a steel toecap with conductive resistive insole contacting the unloading device, insole, and rubber sole, which in this case is totally manufactured in conductive resistive sole.

FIG. 3 shows a longitudinal section of the bottom of a footwear, in this case a white type footwear with a conductive resistive insole contacting two unloading devices, an insole and a chemical sole having a portion contacting the floor manufactured in conductive resistive sole.

FIG. 4 shows the typical shape of an unloading device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Examples Example 1

A body or cut of any footwear model type was assembled on a conventional insole; a chemical sole is injected, either of a polyurethane rubber polymer, leather sole, PVC, TR, where the portion contacting the floor always contains the resistive conductive component in a suitable cast forming the footwear bottom or sole.

The insole is perforated from top to bottom in the heel area jointly with the bottom of the footwear, the unloading device is introduced with the shape of a pin with a 1 cm head and a 6 mm body, where the head leans on the conventional insole.

A resistive conductive insole is manufactured with the same material as the unloading device, with the same shape as the conventional insole and a shape adequate to introduce it in the footwear body so it contacts the head of the unloading device. The obtained footwear has an electric resistance of 250,000 to 1,000,000 Ohm to the whole body or 500,000 to 2,000,000 for each shoe.

Example 2

A footware bottom was made by sole and heel manufactured in rubber comprising natural rubber with conductive lampblack in a percentage between 30 to 40% w/w, that is the resistive conductive component. The footwear cut or body was annealed on the conventional sole, which was glued and annealed on the manufactured bottom.

The front part of the sole is perforated from top to bottom and the unloading device shaped as a pin of the same size as example 1 is introduced so its head leans on the conventional insole.

A resistive conductive semisole, made of rubber based on natural rubber and conductive lampblack in a percentage between 30 to 40% w/w is added, with a shape of about half of the conventional insole, in such a way that it contacts the head of the unloading device.

The obtained footwear has an electric resistance between 250,000 to 1,000,000 Ohm to the whole body or 500,000 to 2,000,000 for each shoe.

Example 3

It was performed like example 1 but in this case 2 unloading devices were added, one in the heel area and the other on the front part.

The obtained footwear has an electric resistance between 250,000 and 1,000,000 Ohm to whole body or 500,000 to 2,000,000 for each shoe.

Example 4

A safety ankle boot is manufactured as detailed in example 3, incorporating the steel toecap.

The obtained footwear has an electric resistance from 250,000 to 1,000,000 Ohm to whole body or 500,000 to 2,000,000 Ohm to each shoe

It was estimated that in these conditions, although not recommended, the elimination of the resistive conductive insole equally offered the necessary protection to the person using this type footwear against the enunciated risks.

We point out that the latter is not advisable because the contact between the foot and the unloading device may not be effective. 

1. A conductive, resistive and anti-triboelectric footwear comprising a body or footwear cut, a semiconductor sole, a resistive conductive insole, a common insole, a bottom or sole having at least one portion occupying the whole sole contacting the floor manufactured with the same material as the unloading devices and the semiconductor sole and unloading devices with the purpose of contacting the human body with the ground and achieve the release of the stored static electricity, on which the footwear body is fixed, characterized in that the unloading devices pass through the common insole and the footwear bottom making contact between the resistive conductive insole and the ground through at least the portion or the whole sole when it is resistive conductive.
 2. The conductive, resistive and anti-triboelectric footwear of claim 1, characterized in that the unloading devices and the resistive conductive insole and the whole of the sole or the portion contacting its sole are manufactured partly or wholly with the same resistive conductive material.
 3. The conductive, resistive and anti-triboelectric footwear of claim 1, characterized in that the unloading device(s) and the resistive conductive insole and the sole portion contacting the floor are manufactured with rubber comprising natural rubber with conductive lampblack in a percentage from 30 to 40% w/w.
 4. The conductive, resistive and anti-triboelectric footwear of claim 1, characterized in that the unloading devices are placed in any location on the bottom or sole.
 5. The conductive, resistive and anti-triboelectric footwear of claim 4, characterized in that the unloading devices are placed in the heel area.
 6. The conductive, resistive and anti-triboelectric footwear of claim 1, characterized in that the unloading device(s) are pin-shaped.
 7. The method of manufacturing a conductive, resistive and anti-triboelectric footwear of claim 1, characterized in that the footwear body or cut is assembled on a conventional assembly insole which is glued or annealed on the bottom of a sole wholly constituted of a resistive conductive material or having the portion contacting the floor to this type of material; in a subsequent step the conventional assembly insole and the bottom or sole are perforated from top to bottom and the unloading devices are inserted, passing from the assembly insole and coming out under the bottom to assure contact with the floor trough the whole sole when manufactured by the resistive conductive material or through the portion manufactured by the conductive resistive material contacting the floor, where the excess of unloading devices exceeding from the bottom is cut and a resistive conductive insole assures contact between the human body and the ground. 